Software - Cloud service saves accountants 30 per cent on their IT cost

A case study for Rise and George Hay Chartered Accountants

Overview
Chartered accountant George Hay wanted to reduce its IT costs and implement an IT infrastructure that would grow with its business. The company worked with Softwerx, an IT services and software development firm, to deploy a Cloud infrastructure based on DataCenter on Demand technology. With the help of Softwerx, George Hay reduced its IT costs by 30 per cent and gained peace of mind from a new disaster-recovery service.

The cost of on-premises IT
George Hay Chartered Accountants provides professional audit, accountancy, tax and business-advisory services from offices in Biggleswade, Huntingdon and Letchworth. The firm is renowned for responsive customer services. As a result, it has grown considerably in recent years. With this growth, the company soon needed to expand the IT that underpins its services. In particular, it needed to replace servers at two of its three sites. At this point, George Hay decided to evaluate an alternative to on-premise IT. Richard Dilley, a partner at George Hay Chartered Accountants, says: “Cloud computing was an option we’d toyed with for a while because the costs involved in maintaining our IT were increasing greatly with each upgrade.”

Time to consult a trusted advisor
After conducting initial research into Cloud computing, George Hay consulted Softwerx, a company it has worked with for eight years. Softwerx is an IT services and software development firm that specialises in solving business challenges for its customers. It’s also a leading Microsoft partner. Dilley says: “The benefits of moving to the Cloud were plain for all to see, so we decided to move our infrastructure to the Cloud with Softwerx.”

Softwerx designed a Cloud infrastructure for George Hay based on DataCenter on Demand technology from Rise, a leading infrastructure-as-a-service provider. Impressed with the design, George Hay asked Softwerx to migrate its services to the Cloud. This included migrating the accountancy firm’s servers, backup and applications. Dilley says: “Naturally, Softwerx was our first port of call. The company designed the solution, sourced the supplier and made it an easy transition to the Cloud for us.”

Reduces cost of IT by 30 per cent
Since moving to the Cloud, George Hay has reduced the amount of money it spends on IT. The company has consolidated data from three sites into one, which has reduced licensing costs. Dilley says: “The company has reduced software costs because we no longer need three site licenses. Now, we pay for just one. This has helped us reduce out IT costs by 30 per cent.”

Improves disaster recovery
The company also gains greater peace of mind from the new Cloud infrastructure. The company’s disaster recovery is now offsite, which means employees can still access IT systems, even if there’s an incident at one of its sites. This is crucial to ensure the business continues in the event of a disaster. It also ensures that George Hay preserves its reputation for responsive service.

Gains an IT infrastructure that supports its business growth
George Hay was particularly aware of the cost of upgrades to its IT. The firm wanted an IT infrastructure that would provide better value. The service from Softwerx gives the company a predictable monthly bill, which makes forecasting its IT spending more accurate. And it avoids the high upfront costs of buying hardware and subsequently, paying for upgrades. What’s more, the Cloud makes it easy for the company to expand its IT infrastructure.